BEATTY TWP — A Thursday night house fire near the west end of Lake Vermilion claimed the lives of two people, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire was reported at approximately 9:20 p.m. on Wakemup Village Road in Beatty Township, northeast of Cook. When sheriff’s deputies and fire crews arrived on scene, the home was already fully engulfed in flames.
Crews from multiple area departments responded to the blaze, including Cook, Orr, Greenwood Township, Kinney-Great Scott, and the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade. The Cook Ambulance Service was also on hand for medical standby.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, two individuals were discovered deceased inside the residence. Names of the victims had not been released as of Tuesday, pending identification of one of the bodies and notification of family members.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office are leading the inquiry.

Updated after press time:

St. Louis County Sheriff Press Release:

One of the deceased parties in the house fire has been identified as Raeann Marie Pry, 69 of Cook.
The second deceased party has not yet been positively identified, and the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office is still working to make the positive identification which is the reason for the delay in this information being made public. The second party is believed to be Susan Patricia Hein, 67,  of Cook.
The Sheriff's Office has not been able to locate any family members of Susan and is looking for assistance from the public.  If you have any knowledge of next of kin for Susan, please reach out to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office in Virginia. 
The State Fire Marshal's Office, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and Cook Fire Department responded to and investigated the fire. The cause and origin of the fire is undetermined at this time. There is no indication of any suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire or the deaths. The house is on the 2700 Block of Wakemup Village Rd in Beatty Township outside of Cook, MN.